Guilty plea in works over CIA leak

10/22/12 5:03 PM EDT

Former Central Intelligence Agency officer John Kiriakou, who's accused of disclosing the identities of colleagues who interrogated suspected terrorists, may be on the verge of offering a guilty plea in the case.

On Monday afternoon, an entry was added to the electronic docket of the federal court in Alexandria, Va. for a "change of plea" hearing at 11 A.M. Tuesday before U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema.

Defense attorney Robert Trout declined to comment on the proposed plea, beyond confirming the docket entry. "That’s about all I’m going to say at this point," Trout said in a brief interview Monday afternoon.

Kiriakou was indicted in April on three counts of violating the Espionage Act by disclosing classified information, one count of violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act by exposing a covert officer, and one count of attempting to defraud the CIA's Publication Review Board.

A source close to the case told POLITICO Monday that Kiriakou was offered a deal under which he'd plead guilty to one IIPA count and receive a sentence of two years, six months in custody. However, Kiriakou has been wavering about whether to accept it over the past week, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Last week, Brinkema canceled without explanation two important hearings scheduled in the case. Such an action often signals that a guilty plea is imminent. However, no guilty plea is final until accepted by a judge, who conducts an in-court exchange with the defendant to make sure he is certain about his wishes and fully informed of the consequences of the decision.

Kiriakou's supporters say he's being persecuted because of the role he played in disclosing the CIA's use of controversial interrogation techniques like waterboarding. The Justice Department has denied any such retribution is behind the charges.